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Revised November 2024
Prerequisite for entry
Successful completion of Mandarin syllabus level 4 at UCL Centre for Languages & International Education or A level grade (or equivalent).
Term duration
10 x 2-hour classes.
Aims and objectives
The course aims to help upper-intermediate students advance to an advanced level in Mandarin. Throughout the course, learners will explore Chinese society by following the travel experiences of Steve Brown, one of the overseas students featured in the Discover China book series. Students will engage in conversations, debates, and writing exercises to demonstrate their check-in skills at a Chinese airport, their understanding of Chinese hospitality, and their critical perspectives on environmental changes in China and the achievements of the Chinese people in environmental protection.
Functions
- Managing the check-in procedure precisely and accurately
- Presenting ideas clearly and efficiently
- Clarifying points of view using phrases like 最主要的原因 (the primary reason)
- Using exemplification to strengthen arguments
- Comparing the education systems of China and the UK, as well as the advantages and disadvantages for graduates to live in and out of the city
Course content
Main topics/themes to be covered:
- Checking in at a Chinese airport
- Visiting a Chinese family in Inner Mongolia
- Ambitions and living styles
- Environmental projects in China
Grammar
- Weather description
- Comparative constructions
- Concession with phrases like 要不 (otherwise) and 这样吧 (how about this)
- Passivity using with 受, e.g. 受……影响 (to be influenced by...)
- Options or sequences of events in an orderly manner using 首先……; 其次…… (first..., secondly...)
Learning resources
Books
Discover China: Student's Book Three, edited by Chen Xin, Jing Lili , Macmillan. Chapters 5-8
ISBN: 9780230406414
Discover China: Workbook Three, Chapters 5-8
ISBN: 9780230406421
Bilingual Dictionaries
- Langenscheidt dictionary
- Macmillan-FLTRP Chinese Character Dictionary
- Oxford Beginners' Dictionary
Websites
In addition there are supplementary materials for self-study in the Self-Access Centre.
